"Mark Zarella" wrote in
:

If high sound levels aren't required, that might not be true.
Assuming that each setup won't be pushed to distortion, decent
speakers driven by 15 watts per channel RMS will probably sound
better than so-so speakers driven by 40 watts per channel RMS.

I disagree. First of all, it's not "high sound levels" that I'm
talking about. I'm talking about fairly moderate typical listening
levels. Your peaks will require well above 15 watts per channel,
especially for components, and even more especially for most a/d/s/
components (like the OP alluded to). If he plans on driving with
the windows down or the AC/heat on or on the highway, forget about
it!

This is true; I've experienced it personally. But I was under the
impression that we were talking about low-to-moderate listening
levels.

Secondly, there are many cases where STOCK speakers sound better off
a head unit than the most expensive aftermarket speakers. This is
usually because of the increase in sensitivity of some stocks -- a
direct consequence of power's effect on SQ.

It's also in part due to the fact that OEM speakers are "engineered"
to work with the OEM HU (and amp, if applicable). Replacing one part
in an OEM chain won't necessarily result in better sound.

The fallacy that power and SQ are somehow mutually exclusive runs
rampant in this newsgroup!

Mark, my only point is that more power won't make up for the lack of
frequency response in an inferior speaker. In reality, you need both
power and good frequency response for good sound.

Regards,
Joe